As the summer approaches and we reflect upon the academic year that has passed, it is essential to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our community. To commemorate these outstanding achievements, we are thrilled to present a new section: "In Pursuit of Wisdom: Celebrating Academic Milestones." This dedicated section aims to highlight the exceptional milestones, breakthroughs, and contributions made by our faculty, staff, and students throughout the year. It serves as a platform to recognize their hard work, dedication, and the positive impact they have had within our institution and beyond.
In this very first edition we would like to draw your attention to the monograph by Jamie van der Klaauw published in The Philosophical Salon. Jamie van der Klaauw is Ph.D. candidate at the Erasmus School of Philosophy, focusing on political philosophy and its history in close connection to social and cultural theory. His PhD centers on a symbolic reinterpretation of political representation thinking it through to its radical end in articulation, expression, and signification. In addition to this monograph, he works and publishes on a variety of subjects, ranging from local municipal politics, lost figures of social thought, film, and conspiracy theory.
Why is this a highlight?
Philosophical salon is the philosophical blog published by the LA Review of Books, and edited and run by Michael Marder. It has featured authors such as Jean-Luc Nancy, Fabio Vighi, Gabriel Rockhill, Babette Babich, Slavoj Žižek, and many more. It was fun and exhilarating to write something specifically for this outlet and have it received well.
What is your article about?
“Video gaming is classically considered a silly exercise. Why don’t kids just go play outside? Let alone adults, who have better things to do with their time. Imagine then not gaming yourself, but watching a video of somebody gaming, a game stream. Now, you are twice removed from any ‘actual’ movement, action, or exercise. Terrible, right? Well, this type of stream on the internet is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube enable, feature, and make a lot (if not most) of money through video game streams. In my article, I don’t immediately dismiss watching streams, but try to take this seriously. They allow for something called: ‘interpassivity’. You invest yourself in the actions of an ‘other’ as if they are your own. With this new understanding, previous concerns about activity and passivity may be mitigated, we are not so clearly passive or active in gaming or watching streams. More importantly, new concerns arise. Because, if I enjoy a video game through someone else playing and enjoying it, and someone else plays it because they think you enjoy it, who is doing the enjoying and to what end?”
To whom does this message speak, to whom is this of interest?
"The article is an off-shoot of my Phd research project. I had delved into interpassivity for my conception of political representation and found that one part that didn’t quite fit my Phd, but that had some interesting insights, could be transformed into a standalone article. Of course, this required quite some reworking still."
"Philosophical salon is first and foremost a blog for fellow academics, theorists, and philosophers, who are interested in a variety of shorter and more poignant pieces than the traditional academic paper. The publication favors engagement with real-world events, politics, social occasions, or technological advancements. In my treatment of the gaming stream, I tried to engage with relatively new thought (interpassivity, of the last 30 years) and apply it to a newly emergent phenomenon of the gaming stream which has shot to prominence in the late 2010s. Gaming as an industry has matured, and thus related phenomena like gaming streams deserve serious philosophical attention beyond a mere moral rejection."
What are your future plans?
Indeed, one of the ideas featured in there, which was completely new, is an interpassive reading of the ‘living script’. My conception of interpassivity is heavily driven by technological advances, it is part of my philosophy of technology. Yet, this is far from central to my political research, and therefore I would love to return to this concept in the future and work it out. Especially with the emergence of hypermediating technological systems (social media, chatgroups) and AI, the questions I ask myself are: who writes the script, and with what goals in mind?
Don't miss out on the opportunity to share your personal academic highlights for inclusion in this special section! In collaboration with Marcom, we will select either an interview or article format to showcase your achievements and experiences. Contact Eddie Adelmund for more information.
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Read the monograph via the Philosophical Salon
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